Many computer devices use modular components to allow increased flexibility and adaptability to various work environments. This is especially true in the area of small computing devices such as hand held computer terminals, vehicle mounted computer terminals and small lap-top computers. Along these lines, small, removable and interchangeable memory cards were developed. The memory cards have now become commonplace and the PCMCIA memory card standard has become accepted industry wide as the format to use.
The PCMCIA memory cards are relatively small having a length and width roughly the size of a credit card. The thickness of these cards is more than that of a credit card and there are several thicknesses used for different cards. These cards are designed to slide into a receiving portion of some computer device. At one end of the card is an interface section which is in essence the female portion of a connector that mates with the male end in the receiving device. All of this, including the number of pins, the layout of the pins, and the pin size for the connection, are all part of the PCMCIA standard.
The success of the removable and interchangeable PCMCIA memory cards has led to the development of other types of peripheral devices that use the same standard. Of particular interest to the present application are the cards that contain radio transceivers and modems. These devices can be inserted into and connected to a receiving device in the same manner as a memory card. However, with these devices there is an additional connection which must be made to connect a radio antenna, a telephone line, a cellular phone, or an antenna for the cellular phone.
Radio frequency communication allows two or more computer terminals to communicate without actually being wired together. Many types of radio communication exist and many different radio frequencies and frequency ranges can and must be used to accommodate the different types of radio communication. For example, a radio that operates by sending the information on a single channel in the UHF band differs greatly from a radio that sends its information utilizing spread spectrum frequency hopping in the 2400-2483 MHz range. The antennas necessary to operate in the different frequency ranges also differ. Similarly, modem communication, whether connected by traditional phone lines or by cellular phones, allow computer devices that are not hardwired together to exchange information.
Connection of the radio card or modem card to an outside antenna or telephone line is typically made by either extending the length of the card beyond the standard card length with the antenna or cable connector built into the extended portion or by having an antenna or telephone cable protrude out of the end of the radio card to which the user may attach an antenna or telephone line. These options have significant limitation. Both connections severely limit the type of device that can accommodate the cards. Most devices cannot accommodate the extra length without some modification and both connections make environmentally sealing the connections difficult. Additionally, both connections are susceptible to increased damage from dropping or other physical trauma An external antenna to which the user must couple an antenna is inconvenient and subjects the radio periods of unreliability due to wear of the cable and connection.
Another problem related to the use of radio cards and modem cards built in accordance with the PCMCIA standards is supplying the power required for these cards. Typically the power supply provided by the multi-pin interface is not sufficient.
Thus, there is a need in a computer terminal for an improved apparatus for connecting a removable card type radio or modem to an antenna or telephone line attached to or built within the computer terminal. Additionally, there is a need for an improved power supply connection capable of providing the power required by the radio and modem cards.